DODGERS NOTEBOOK: SIMI GRAD IS DREAM WEAVER.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

Jeff Weaver says he will have no trouble staying focused when he makes his Dodgers debut tonight against San Diego. But that doesn't mean the Simi Valley High alum won't be glad when it's over.

``I think the novelty will kind of wear off after this first homestand,'' Weaver said. ``But it's exciting for us all. A lot of us grew up watching the Dodgers. To have someone out there playing for them is especially exciting to all of us.''

The ``us'' to whom Weaver keeps referring is himself and the 26 people who will attend tonight's game as his guests. Weaver has reserved a luxury suite that will hold 20, with the other six relegated to prime, field-level seats. Weaver said 15 of the 26 are relatives - including his brother Jered, the Long Beach State pitcher who might go first overall in this year's draft - and the rest are friends.

Besides being his first start with his hometown team, it also will be the first time Weaver has pitched in a meaningful game since giving up a walk-off homer to Florida's Alex Gonzalez in Game 4 of last year's World Series, after which Weaver's New York Yankees didn't win again.

The Yankees traded Weaver to the Dodgers on Dec. 13, along with minor-leaguers Yhency Brazoban and Brandon Weeden, for Kevin Brown.

``To have a fresh start, and it happens to be here in L.A., a place I kind of dreamed about playing, it kind of puts into perspective the past five years I spent getting to this point,'' said Weaver, who made his major-league debut with Detroit in 1999. ``I would like to think it's my first start of many here. Hopefully, I'll spend the rest of my career here.''

--Mechanical adjustment: Dodgers pitching coach Jim Colborn watched film of Hideo Nomo's opening-day start against the Padres, when Nomo hit a fifth-inning wall and gave up six runs. Colborn plans to work with Nomo in today's side session on a mechanical adjustment.

``We're not happy with his velocity,'' said Colborn, who added that it was roughly 3 mph off where it should have been. ``It could come around with this change. But from a health standpoint, there is no reason a guy should change so much from the end of one season to the beginning of another unless it's a mechanical problem or he had surgery.

``In this case, (it's both). We'll try to fix the mechanical problem and see what results.''

Nomo had arthroscopic shoulder surgery in the fall, a procedure from which he was supposed to fully recover by spring training. But he had an 8.13 ERA in the Grapefruit League. ``The history with anybody is that it takes a while to recover and be back to full strength,'' Colborn said. ``Maybe we underestimated (Nomo's recovery time).''

Tony Jackson,[phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 boxes

Box:

(1) GAME RECAP

(2) DODGERS vs. SAN DIEGO

- Tony Jackson